The Range: The Tucson Weekly's Daily Dispatch

Ron Barber Said Something Dumb — But He Wasn't Incorrect

If you didn't read the Arizona Daily Star yesterday (and who would blame you?), you might have missed this exchange of words between CD2 candidates Ron Barber and Martha McSally — in particular, this bit from Barber:

“The Democratic side of the House is a rainbow of colors and ethnicities and religious beliefs,” he said. “Quite frankly, on the other side, it’s essentially a bunch of white guys.”

As a whole, Congress has 456 Caucasian members; 43 African-Americans; 12 Asian-Americans; 31 Hispanics/Latinos; and one Native American (with a few multi-ethnic members being counted multiple ethnic groups). Of those ethnic minorities, 75 are Democrats, while 13 are Republicans.

As far as gender representation is concerned, 93 women serve in the U.S. Congress. Of those women, 74 are Democrats, 29 are Republicans.

Of the 287 Republicans in Congress, there are 29 women, and 13 ethnic minorities. And of the 241 Democrats, there are 74 women and 75 are ethnic minorities.

So, while both parties tend to lean toward white males of the Baby Boomer generation, it's safe to say that Ron Barber isn't wrong when he says that the Republican party in Congress is "essentially a bunch of white guys."